Can you explain the Pauline Privilege?

[tigerlillies]

My husband and I are married civily. I am Catholic, he is in RCIA and will come into the Church at Easter 2008.

He applied for a Pauline Privilege to have his first marriage dissolved - it has been granted - praise the Lord!

The question I have about this situation is that in the letter stating the above, it says:
… the marriage between (my husband and his first wife) is dissolved when you, (my husband) having been baptized, contract a new valid marriage, in accord with the requirements of the decree and the general law of the Church.

Can you please explain what that sentence means?

Unfortunately, our Priest, is not at all helpful with any of this… He keeps telling us not to worry about it and we’ll figure it all out in the New Year. I want to know now! I just want to know what it means…

NOTE: my husband and I have been living as brother and sister for the past 4months and will continue to do so until our marriage is blessed by the Church.

Thank you for any help you are able to provide for us.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hello there,

You are certainly entitled to understand your situation now. All that the Pauline privilege means is that the Church gives more value to a sacramental marriage than one that is not sacramental. Your husband was not baptized when he married his first wife. So the marriage was valid, but not sacramental. Once he is baptized, he will have the opportunity to enter into a marriage that is both valid AND sacramental. I hope this helps.

For more, see:

therealpresence.org/essentials/sacraments/acc40.htm

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.